It’s crazy to think that one of the weirdest draft weekends in NFL history helped shape the future of the Minnesota Vikings, but that’s exactly what happened in 2020.
With the league forced to hold the draft virtually due to COVID protocols — and the talent pool even tougher to gauge for that very same reason — several teams wound up making Day 1 selections they would come to regret.
Current Vikings cornerback Jeff Okudah going No. 4 overall to the Lions would certainly qualify, as would picks like CB C.J. Henderson to the Jaguars at No. 9, LT Mekhi Becton to the Jets at No. 11, WR Henry Ruggs III to the Raiders at No. 12, and the list goes on.
With the help of some revisionist history, you could make the argument that the biggest miss of that 2020 draft came later in the first round — one pick before the Vikings.
The Philadelphia Eagles were on the clock, needing a wide receiver, and LSU star Justin Jefferson was still on the board. The Eagles, of course, submitted a pick that continues to haunt GM Howie Roseman six years later: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU.
Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman still can’t believe he passed Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
Vikings fans remember Reagor well. The Eagles traded their first-round bust to Minnesota at the end of training camp in 2022. Draft misses happen, and, again, that 2022 draft class was ripe for it. But you know Roseman and other GMs around the league felt a sense of dread when the Vikings traded up with Buffalo to draft Jefferson at pick No. 22 overall, exactly one spot after Reagor went to Philly.
The Bussin' With The Boys podcast visited Eagles training camp on Wednesday for their joint practices with the Browns, and Roseman wasted no time lamenting the biggest roster regret of his 15-year run as Philadelphia’s GM:
“I think there’s one that’s pretty obvious. One guy who we didn’t draft is going to the Hall of Fame. … The mistakes kill me. I think about the picks that we have and who we could have gotten and the things that we did wrong, and it helps me get better. I feel like I’m constantly trying to learn and be better, and figure out whys — why you make mistakes, and why you’re picking guys that you should have picked other guys.”
Roseman is about as real as it gets among NFL executives, and the fact that he’s still losing sleep over Jefferson should resonate with Vikings fans. It’s worth noting that the Bills (and others) made the same mistake, but the same deal that brought Jefferson to Minnesota sent Stefon Diggs to Buffalo, so it’s hard to completely crush Brandon Beane and company.
As for Roseman and the Eagles, you could argue that his biggest regret led to Philly’s blockbuster trade with the Titans for A.J. Brown a couple of years later. The Eagles have now been to two Super Bowls in three years, so that should help Roseman sleep better at night (at least a little bit).